The electric and optical properties of Bi4Ti3O12–Na0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9:Sm composite ceramics

Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics with a high Curie temperature (Tc) have great potential applications in optoelectronic fields. Sm doped (10-x)Bi4Ti3O12-xNa0.5Bi2.5Nb2O9 ((10-x)BIT-xNBN:Sm) composite ceramics have been prepared. The effect of NBN content on the microstructure, electrical properties, photoluminescence (PL) and photochromic (PC) properties of the ceramics have been investigated. It is found that the composite ceramics exist with BIT and NBN phases and 1BIT-9NBN:Sm ceramics have the best comprehensive electrical properties (saturated polarization, d33 = 10 pC/N). Furthermore, the PC and fluorescence modulation performances are dependent on the oxygen vacancy content of composite ceramics. Reversible PC reaction and fast response time as short as 1s have been achieved. Moreover, the influence of natural light on PC reaction has been properly eliminated. The research results indicate that regulating the compositions of (10-x)BIT-xNBN:Sm can not only optimize the electrical properties but also the PC performances. A vivid display via the quick PC reaction has been demonstrated.